


Dimension Jump

by StarbucksSue



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stargate Atlantis, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, SGA Secret Santa Fic Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-06
Updated: 2014-01-06
Packaged: 2018-01-07 18:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1122743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarbucksSue/pseuds/StarbucksSue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dimension Jump

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Brumeier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/gifts).



> Written for Brumeier for the SGA Secret Santa Exchange 2013 on LiveJournal.

"Smoke me a kipper; I'll be back for breakfast." And with a sketchy salute Rod disappeared in a flash of light from the Asgard transport beam.

It was only as Rod disappeared that the full force of what he'd done hit John. The Red Dwarf reference may have gone over the heads of most of the people on the bridge of the Daedalus but Rod and John had been gradually working their way through the comedy series and had only recently watched the season four episode where 'Ace' Rimmer, test pilot in the Space Corps, left his own dimension having had the chance to test fly a dimension jumping spacecraft knowing he would never be able to return. The irony wasn't lost on John as he piloted the Puddlejumper out of the Daedalus’ 302 bay and he stared numbly out into space towards the vortex which had swallowed his friend.

John lost track of time as he drifted in space, reluctant to follow the Daedalus and return to the City. He knew he only had himself to blame. His suggestion of beaming into the energy stream and travelling to the parallel dimension had been a joke, a throwaway comment, not a serious plan. However McKay and Zelenka had immediately jumped on the idea and before long, realized that it was possible and they saw it as their only chance of saving their universe. John knew he should have insisted on being the one to go, regardless of the fact that Rod had picked the winning straw. Rod had his sister and his young niece and nephews on Earth who would miss him terribly and he was needed on Atlantis. 

After the second concerned hail from Control John finally turned the Puddlejumper back towards Atlantis, he knew there was no point in second guessing himself. It was done now, Rod was gone, and while they didn't have him in their universe any longer they could only hope that he'd made it safely to the parallel universe and that he would be made welcome there.

As he made his way from the Jumper Bay through the Control Room, John noticed the sympathetic looks being thrown his way and his throat tightened. Turning quickly towards the transporter, he fled the scene as quickly as he could without actually running.

*** 

It had been two days since Rod had disappeared. With the matter bridge still open the situation was worsening more quickly than they had estimated, with exotic particles spewing through the vortex. With no way to know whether Rod had made it alive into the other universe his science team had worked through the night to try and find a way to close the bridge. Unfortunately, the only outcome they had come up with so far was one that would save them but possibly destroy the dimension to which Rod had travelled to but they weren't quite ready to take that step while there was still the chance of an alternative. They had sent a message through but with no way of knowing whether it had been received they could only hope that, with Rod's help, the scientists on the other side would be able to shut the matter bridge down before either universe was destroyed.

Once again John had escaped from the sympathetic looks of his friends. The City was in chaos, the damage caused by the matter bridge remaining open had forced Elizabeth's hand and she'd given all Atlantis personnel the opportunity to return to Earth to their families and loved ones. Many, like John, a small team of marines and Rod's premier science team, now headed up by Zelenka, had remained in the City. A skeleton team of support staff had also offered to stay too in order to keep the remaining scientists and military personnel fed and looked after.

Having no family that he wanted to return to, John simply remained where his memories of Rod were strongest. This had led him to the observation deck of tower 14, overlooking the East Pier. It wasn't the tallest tower on Atlantis but it had the benefit of being both stable and unused. It was a place where both John and Rod had often escaped when they needed some space after a bad mission. Sometimes they talked, other times they just sat in a comfortable silence; calmed by each other's company giving reassurance they were not alone.

It was here that John found himself sometime near midnight. He lay on his back, staring up at the stars and thinking about Rod. Had he travelled safely through to the other dimension; was he even now frantically working to fix this. Was he close to pulling a McKay special and saving them all as he'd done so many times in the past? John knew that the way the scientists were working it wouldn't be long before they might have to make a decision that would destroy the other dimension.

*** 

John was half asleep when he sensed movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up as a familiar figure stepped out of the darkness into a patch of moonlight.

"Dammit McKay, I should have known that whatever universe you ended up in you'd find your way back to this one to haunt me." He pushed himself up to a sitting position, drawing his knees up and wrapping his arms around his legs.

"John, I'm not…" Rod began softly, moving slowly towards him.

"Don't try telling me you're not a ghost," John interrupted. "I understood your explanation about the matter bridge being one way only." John sighed deeply. "Why is it I never see these things coming, why didn't I realize how much I cared about you until you stepped out of my life and into another dimension?" John blinked as the vision in front of him blurred and wavered.

"See you're fading already," his voice wobbled dangerously. "Damn it, Rod, why did you do this? I need you here. I can't do this without you." He broke off and dropped his head to his knees.

"Hey, listen." John looked up again slowly at the sound of Rod's voice, finding the apparition crouched down before him. "John, I'm really not a ghost. The McKay in that dimension well, he's brilliant - albeit arrogant and full of himself, even more than you are - but he and Jeannie, well mostly Jeannie, worked out how to shut the matter bridge down and let me come back through it first, despite the drain to their ZedPM.

You know I always hoped that one day I would be able to work with Jeannie on Atlantis. She was only there because of the matter bridge. She's still married to Caleb over there but, so far she only has Maddie and she’s only four, do you remember Maddie at four she was so cute. I showed her the photos of Maddie, Bradley and Robbie. She and Rodney hadn't spoken in four years before she wrote the proof for the matter bridge, ever since she married Caleb. I can't imagine not speaking to Jeannie for that long."

John frowned as Rod continued.

"But that's beside the point, did you mean what you said just now, or did you only say that because you thought I was dead. I could understand that, you know. But if you do then that's okay because this has made me realize I feel the same way too."

John shook his head in confusion. Sometimes he had a really hard time keeping up with Rod and this time was no exception. He reached out and prodded the arm closest to him, frowning when his fingers met with resistance.

"You really are real?" He asked in wonder.

Rod reached up and cupped John's face tenderly, brushing his thumb over the rough, stubbled, cheek.

"Yes John, I'm real. I'm real and I'm here, with you. It's where I want to be." He slid his hand round the back of John's neck, drawing him closer until their lips touched. The kiss was gentle, so gentle that it was just the lightest brush of Rod's lips against his but it made John shiver and lean in to the warmth of Rod's body, tucking his head into Rod's neck and just breathing in the scent of the man now holding him tightly. 

"Is this real enough for you?" Rod asked softly as John held on, allowing the tension of the past few days to drain from him, leaving him exhausted. "You're going to have to move, you know, I can't go to this party without you."

"What party?" John asked in a muffled voice, head still buried in Rod's jacket.

"They're throwing a welcome back party. I was told in no uncertain terms, and I quote 'Get out there and find him and drag his sorry ass back down here'. Sergeant Matthews reported to Elizabeth and Carson that apparently you haven't been in the mess for the past couple of days. You know starving yourself isn't such a good idea, even if you don't suffer from hypoglycemia." 

"Wasn't hungry and I had a few power bars around." John confessed, his breath tickling Rod's neck.

"Well that may be but you need more than that, you're skinny enough as it is and don't need to be losing any weight or Carson will ground you. By the look of it you need sleep too, have you been sleeping?"

"It seemed kind of pointless trying to sleep when the universe was self-destructing around me." John retorted, finally lifting his head from its hiding place and running his hands quickly over his face with a deep sigh.

"So what was it like, you know, over there?" John asked.

"Well, surprisingly enough, pretty much like here, I did try to be nice to them all in case I had to stay there; it was hard keeping it up for that long though. There were subtle differences which were interesting. Their Sheppard is a real early bird; we were up playing golf at the crack of dawn. His hook needed some work though so I gave him a few tips while I was there. He's also not in Mensa, although he's obviously bright, Rodney grumbled that he plays dumb and underplays his intelligence. 

Teyla and Ronon were a revelation, really talkative and friendly, it was so weird. Teyla didn’t seem to know her Athosian history very well; I managed to give her some history lessons while I was at it too. Sparred with Ronon a couple of times, it was a pretty good workout, not as good as our Ronon though, I did point out a few moves to him. I kind of envied their Rodney in some ways, he's very straightforward, says exactly what's on his mind without caring what people think about him, it must be very liberating. His people like him though, I think they respect him for it and although they make fun of him at times you can see how fond they are of him. He's a good man."

"So you'd have been happy staying there, if you hadn't been able to get home?" John looked away as he asked the question, unsure as to whether he really wanted to know the answer.

"Not really," Rod screwed his face up. "I mean they were nice enough, welcoming, and it was fun talking to them and seeing the differences. But they weren't you, weren't my team. In fact they were a little creepy in some ways, I'm not sure I could have stayed with them permanently. If I'd had to stay I think I would have returned to Earth if they'd let me. Remaining on Atlantis would have reminded me too much of what I'd lost." John turned back to him hopefully, relaxing at the familiar sight of Rod smiling at him in the moonlight.

"Come on John, if I've got to attend this 'not-the-end-of-the-universe' party then you need to come with me and the sooner we show our faces the sooner we can escape." Rod winked as he stood up and held his hand out to John, pulling him to his feet and reeling him in for a gentle kiss. "After that maybe we can go back to my quarters and see just how much you really do care about me." And raising one eyebrow suggestively, Rod turned and left the observation deck with John following quickly behind.

Many hours later, and long after they had escaped from the overenthusiastic crowd at the party, they lay exhausted but sated and content in Rod's bed. With the silvery light of the Atlantis moon casting a ghostly shadow over the bed John reflected on how lucky he was that his friend and lover was real and not a spirit returned to haunt him. He rested his head on Rod's shoulder and his arm across Rod's chest, feeling Rod's arms come around him and he allowed himself to relax completely into the warmth and security of the embrace. As he drifted towards sleep, John made the decision that from now on he was going to stick like glue to Rod; never again would he give his partner the opportunity to leave him behind.


End file.
